Currently, there are multiple websites available that provide for unsecured submission and inquiry within online databases containing personal information of individuals whose safety may be of immediate concern to relatives and other interested parties, e.g. in the event of a disaster, natural or otherwise. However, the current method does not ensure interested parties that the information that they receive is authentic, reliable, or up-to-date. Essentially, the current practice is to use these unsecured web-based posting sites as a means to attempt to communicate with persons of concern. The information exchange over these sites lacks any association between the recipient and the submitter of the personally identifiable information. The posted information in the database may be read or submitted by anyone with access to the Internet. There is no assurance that the information will not be accessed or altered by unauthorized individuals. Furthermore, without a single centralized database for the information, the search for an individual's safety status may involve several inquiries into different databases.